Skip to content
State files updated Oct 27, 2026
Look up a contractor
MenuClose

Home / HVAC Technicians / Oregon

Two workers in hard hats fitting a rectangular duct between floor framing, seen from above

Home / HVAC Technicians / Oregon

How to become an HVAC technician in Oregon

Oregon does not license individual HVAC technicians. You learn on the job or in school, and the Oregon Building Codes Division (electrical, plumbing, mechanical) licenses HVAC contractors who run their own business.1

11registered apprenticeship programs$30.26median an hour in Oregon

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In OR
11 registered programs
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In OR
1 schools with programs
Compare 1 schools
Helper

Start on a crew

Get hired as a helper by a licensed HVAC contractor and log hours on the job.

Pay
Paid on the job
Start
No experience needed
How to get started

The license steps

  1. Get hired or start training

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Compare the ways in
  2. Run your own shop

    LHR: signing supervisor required.

    Issued by
    Oregon Building Codes Division (electrical, plumbing, mechanical)
    Oregon contractor license
Pay once you're working

$62,940

a year is the median for HVAC technicians in Oregon ($30.26 an hour, May 2025).4

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Portland–Vancouver$31.38
  2. Salem$31.27
  3. Corvallis$30.63
  4. Bend$29.40
  5. Eugene–Springfield$28.87
Oregon median $30.26 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as an HVAC technician in Oregon?

Yes. Oregon licenses HVAC contractors through the Oregon Building Codes Division (electrical, plumbing, mechanical).2

Are HVAC technicians in demand in Oregon?

Projections Central expects about 400 HVAC technician openings a year in Oregon through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.3

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

11 registered programs in Oregon. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for HVAC technicians in Oregon

Sources

  1. Oregon Building Codes Division (oregon.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Oregon Building Codes Division (electrical, plumbing, mechanical) contractor licensing (apps.oregon.gov, 2026-10-27)
  3. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  4. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Oregon, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)